pompous

[ pom-puhs ]

See synonyms for: pompous pompously on Thesaurus.com

adjective

characterized by an ostentatious display of dignity or importance: a pompous minor official.
ostentatiously lofty or high-flown: a pompous speech.

Archaic. characterized by pomp, or a display of stately splendor or magnificence: an impressive and pompous funeral.

Origin of pompous

First recorded in 1325–75; Middle English word from Late Latin word pompōsus.See pomp, -ous

Other words for pompous

1	pretentious
2	inflated, turgid, bombastic

See synonyms for pompous on Thesaurus.com

Other words from pompous

pomp·ous·ly, adverb
un·pomp·ous, adjective
un·pomp·ous·ly, adverb
un·pomp·ous·ness, noun

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use pompous in a sentence

Pompously he quoted, ‘Handsome is as handsome does,’ and Rose had no call to go against me.
A Real-Life ‘Downton Abbey’ Affair | Margaret Powell | January 13, 2013 | THE DAILY BEAST
Oh, yes, and anyone anywhere who has ever indignantly, pompously posed the question: Do you know who I am?
‘Ascent of the A-Word:’ The Beauty of the Indispensable Vulgarity | Malcolm Jones | August 17, 2012 | THE DAILY BEAST
This is what the writers of serious books pompously call "the secret history of the whole matter."
The Pit Town Coronet, Volume I (of 3) | Charles James Wills
She then pompously demanded a private audience with Sir Hugh, and the young party left the room.
Camilla | Fanny Burney
I consider that the "gastronomic art," as it is pompously called, is ninety-nine per cent plain rubbish.
The Book of Life: Vol. I Mind and Body; Vol. II Love and Society | Upton Sinclair

This affair was pompously announced in all the newspapers while I was nearly reduced to beggary.
Beethoven's Letters 1790-1826, Volume 1 of 2 | Lady Wallace
This legacy so pompously announced seemed of less importance to the legatees than to the testator.
Memoirs of the Duchesse de Dino v.1/3, 1831-1835 | Dorothy Duchesse de Dino

British Dictionary definitions for pompous

pompous

/ (ˈpɒmpəs) /

adjective

exaggeratedly or ostentatiously dignified or self-important
ostentatiously lofty in style: a pompous speech

rare characterized by ceremonial pomp or splendour

Derived forms of pompous

pompously, adverb
pompousness, noun

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

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